As part of a physical examination, a great deal of information concerning the patient's heart may be ascertained from studying the blood vessels of the human neck. Since these vessels provide close surface exposures of the vascular system, they can best reflect the dynamics of the heart without instrumentation. The importance and value of properly identifying and interpreting pulsations of the neck veins and arteries as clues to the condition of the right and left sides of the heart respectively, have long been recognized.
In present day hospital intensive care units, the pressure pulsations of the blood vessels of patients are often measured and recorded electrically by use of transducers placed on and in the body in order to assess accurately the person's cardiovascular status. However, because of the cost, risk to the patient, or lack of availability of such sophisticated instrumentation, it is increasingly important for a physician to be able to assess, screen, and diagnose the condition of the heart at a patient's bedside using only his own eyes, ears, and hands.
Many disorders of the heart can be suspected or diagnosed from the proper interpretation of visual, audible, and palpable data obtained from such a physical examination. The variations in normal and various abnormal pulsations are subtle, however, and can be perceived only by the experienced clinician. Traditionally, this ability and experience has been derived exclusively from patient contact and examination with many years of training required. It is desirable therefore to have a self contained and simply constructed instrument to introduce and assist in such training, and which will mimic manifestations in the neck vessels of many conditions, including:
Tricricuspid Valve Regurgitation, PA1 Tricricuspid Valve Stenosis, PA1 Constrictive Pericarditis, PA1 Atrial Fibrillation, PA1 Complete Heart Block (Third Degree) PA1 Aortic Valve Regurgitation, PA1 Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis, PA1 Bigeminy, PA1 Pulsus Alternans, PA1 Dicrotic Pulse, and PA1 Normal Venous and Arterial Pulsations.
It is also desirable that such an instrument be portable and designed for long use without maintenance or malfunction. The teaching instrument disclosed in this application meets the above requirements.